Molting / wing development issue with male S. limbata mantises

[PhilinYuma]

Well, Kamakiri, you contrinue to shoot down all the possible environmental causes for this CWD (crumpled wing disorder, I just made up the abreviation), and I know that the possibility of a genetic cause still lingers in your mind. I have avoided discussing it, because I lack the skill to avoid the use of technical jargon, but since no one else has done so ("too busy" huh, Mija!), here goes.

CWD exists in your population among males only, so we should be looking at an X linked recessive trait in heterozygous males. Remember Mendel and his crinkly beans? If CWD is a recessive trait, then it should occur in only 25% of the population. Of course, your numbers are way too small to give an accurate idea of what is going on, but >53%, even in such a population, seems to rule out a recessive gene.

Also, since we know that this condition occurs in this and other species due to environmental conditions, (i.e., in well under 25% of the population) then there is no valid reason to postulate a genetic cause.

However, it is fairly simple to determine whether or not there is a genetic cause for the condition in your specimens by swapping ooths with someone not afflicted by the problem. Alas, I have viable ooths, but they continue, obstinately, to refuse to hatch. Perhaps someone else in the community can help?

Do you keep twigs that come close to the lid in your pots? If not, that might help.

 

[kamakiri]

No twigs in the limbata 24 oz tubs for the males. Even the much larger girls molted in the same diameter 32 oz tubs. Despite their shorter wings, I honestly thought I would have more trouble with the girls.

Could be that the problem is X-linked recessive. That would mean that a female xX wouldn't express but a male xY would. And that would be 50%...

 

[kamakiri]

And to throw in a somewhat related data point on the vertical position for pumping the wings...One of my religiosa males which are nearly the same size successfully molted and pumped up his wings perfectly in the same size tub. Right after the deflation phase, he crawled up on the old exo, and then up the foam stopper to the lid much like the limbata males did.

 

[kamakiri]

Well, Kamakiri, you contrinue to shoot down all the possible environmental causes for this CWD (crumpled wing disorder, I just made up the abreviation), and I know that the possibility of a genetic cause still lingers in your mind.

Back to this...

Well I haven't eliminated low humidity and dehydration as an environmental issue. I feel like I have eliminated the 4.5" deli tub as a cause, since I had two from the next batch of limbatas also recently molt without problems. The tubs were very lightly humidified with distilled water spray on the outside of the lid since I've had them from L2-L3.